


One Night for One Life

by Leeks_and_Tuna



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: F/F, Negitoro, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-01-30 01:48:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21420196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leeks_and_Tuna/pseuds/Leeks_and_Tuna
Summary: Hatsune Miku never thought a night could change her life. Well, she had been wrong. After a party and an accident, rumors about an affair spread involving her and a co-idol, she needs to make things right. Unfortunately, things between them start escalating, and they can't decide if that was the best or worst mistake of their lives... Negitoro / MikuxLuka
Relationships: Hatsune Miku/Megurine Luka
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	1. A Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm currently in the process of crossposting all my completed fics from the net, and this is the first one! I hope I can reach an even wider audience with this :) This is ripped completely, and I'm not going to even edit it, so bare with the mistakes of old me. I'm still proud of it though, it was the first negi fic I ever completed!
> 
> I'll try to update once a week: since I don't have to write anything else, it'll just be a challenge of whether life gets in the way :)
> 
> So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy this chapter! (and sorry for bad image quality, I just wanted to show off the cover xD)

Miku couldn't think.

Her mind was foggy, her vision a haze; she didn't know what she was doing half the time. One moment she was drinking more, the next swept away to dance, and the next singing on a table in front of everybody. She didn't care; she was home, a party for Crypton's Vocaloids; nobody was going to judge her.

That's when the pink-haired Megurine Luka came onto the table next to her, singing along with the lyrics, harmonizing. Miku didn't know Luka knew the lyrics, nor did she care. All that mattered was the moment.

With everyone cheering at their finish, Luka grabbed her hand. Her face was flushed, obviously intoxicated, just like Miku. Luka dragged her away, out of the party, outside, to where it was quiet. Despite the lack of noise they still couldn't hear their inhibitions telling them to stop, screaming at them to stop. All that controlled them right now was instinct, instinct and instincts alone.

Neither of them cared it was taboo, or that it was easy to see them, or someone could walk by, snap a picture, and their careers would be ruined. They didn't know what they were doing; they couldn't focus. All they knew was that it felt good, and that's all that mattered.

**0o0o0o0**

Miku groaned, stretching in her bed. Her phone buzzing was what had woken her up, and she very much wanted to go back to sleep: it was 7 AM, after all. So she grabbed her phone and answered the call to get it over with.

"Hello?" She croaked out, surprised at how her voice sounded. Then a pounding headache kicked in, and then a wave of nausea flew over her. She almost ran to the bathroom except for the fact she didn't want to move.

"Hello." Miku recognized the voice as her manager's, Kaito. Oh crap. She had work today.

"I'm sorry," she interrupted whatever he was going to say. "I'm late, aren't-"

"I don't think you should come to work today," Kaito-san cut off with a strangely calm tone. "I don't think you should be seen in public today. Plus, you need to take it easy."

"Huh...? What do you mean?"

"...I think you should see for yourself. I'll send you a link. Rest up, Hatsune-san."

"Wait-"

Kaito-san hung up. Miku stared at her phone in confusion; what the hell did he mean by that?

Wait a second; the memories were coming back to her. There was a party last night for the Vocaloids, she was drinking, then singing, then... nothing. She couldn't remember.

That explained her terrible hangover. Another wave of nausea flowed over her, and she was forced to run to the bathroom. Taking her phone with her in case Kaito-san texted her the "link" while she was in there, she rushed out of bed, almost falling over from dizziness.

She stumbled around a bit until she found her bathroom, not remembering the layout of her house. She blamed that on the hangover, but when she walked into the bathroom and didn't recognize it at all, she knew something was up. But she ignored it; on last powerful wave of nausea pushed her over the edge, and she rushed to the toilet, vomiting up the contents of her empty stomach.

She felt even more exhausted after that, but somehow she got up and flushed the toilet. She glanced around the bathroom; it was definitely _not_ her's. Then who's was it?

Her phone buzzed in her hand. She saw the text she was expecting from Kaito-san, stating simply "here's the link" and a URL following it. She opened her phone and clicked it, seeing immediately it was for a magazine. She stared shocked at its contents.

**Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka Seen Leaving Party Together! Forbidden Relationship?**

_The pop idols Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka were seen late last night leaving a party, and walking into Luka's house. Is there..._

Miku stopped reading there, accidentally dropping her phone. She crumpled to the ground. So she was at Megurine-san's house?

She looked in a mirror, only to see herself naked. She gasped. No way... there was no way...

What had they _done_ last night?

"You're up."

Miku turned around. There was Megurine Luka, dressed in a nightgown. Had she worn that all night, or had put them on recently?

"Y-Yeah, I... I got sick," Miku admitted. She stared at the pink-haired woman awkwardly, wondering if she knew what was going on. "Do you, um, remember what... what happened? Last night?"

"No. Not at all." Thank God she didn't remember either. So both of them were under alcohol's influence. "But you might... want to put something on."

Miku covered her body up, realizing again she was butt naked. "Um, w-well, can you give me something, t-then? Please!?"

"Of course." Megurine-san giggled, walking out of the room. She came back in a minute with jeans and an oversized t-shirt. "I know it's a little big but it's better than nothing, huh?"

"Th-Thank you," Miku stuttered, closing the bathroom door. She quickly put on the clothes, still shaking half because of the hangover and half because of embarrassment.

She still couldn't believe what had probably happened.

She took a few deep breaths in, and then forced herself to walk out of the bathroom and not sit there in shame. She saw Megurine-san on the bed, looking at her phone.

"...So you got the text?" Miku asked. Megurine-san nodded.

"I still don't remember what happened last night," she replied, putting the back of her hand to her forehead. "It's all a haze..."

"Same here." Miku sat down on the bed, staring at the floor. "I guess it's okay for now, but we can't say that to anyone. Or anything about this mess to anyone."

"You're starting to sound like our manager." Megurine-san giggled.

"Very funny." But despite her words, Miku laughed a bit. "I'm still... confused."

"I know. I am too."

"I wonder if I'll ever be able to go out in public again... Will I be shamed when I come back? Will I-"

"People need to understand these things happen sometimes." Megurine-san cut her off. "I know we're idols and all, but we can't be expected to not live our lives and be perfect all the time.

"Nevertheless, you should stay here today. I think it's too soon to go anywhere, and it's especially risky if you were seen leaving my house."

"I know..." Miku sighed. "I just wish things were less complicated."

"You and me both."

**0o0o0o0**

Miku stayed there for the day, mostly sitting downstairs on Megurine-san's couch and trying not to bother her. After their conversation, it was getting awkward. Very awkward.

Both of them couldn't remember what had happened last night, but they could very well infer what had. Them being in the same bed, waking up naked... It was all too obvious. So they mostly avoided each other once they came to their senses.

Every time they did come across each other, though, the silence threatened to choke Miku.

And now that Miku could think clearer, she couldn't think of how that could happen. Sure, they were drunk, but... her and Megurine-san? They were both girls, and even if she wasn't close-minded or homophobic, it did seem strange that of all people, it was the pink-haired woman. And she hated the idea that even though they barely knew each other, they had already, well...

"Hatsune-san?" Miku looked up. It was Megurine-san talking to her.

"Yes?" Those were the first words they had spoken to each other in hours.

"Do you want dinner? I could make it for you."

"N-No, I don't want to freeload..." Miku looked back down at the ground in embarrassment. She could feel her face burn; she was still unbearably awkward talking to her after thinking about what could've happened.

"You're not freeloading: you were forced to stay here because of the circumstances. So I'll make dinner for you. What do you want?"

Miku was about to protest, but she couldn't think of anything that didn't sound awkward or harsh. "W-Whatever's easiest to make."

"Alright. I'll call you when it's ready, okay?" Miku nodded. The pinkette walked out of the room, and Miku let out a breath she'd been holding.

Honestly, it was hard to breathe near Megurine-san because of what had happened. She couldn't think of how a nice woman like her could've ended up in a situation like this. She knew that it wasn't impossible for herself, since she could be reckless at times, hence her getting drunk, but now that she thought about it...

Megurine-san hadn't seemed like she had gotten drunk this morning. She was probably imagining things, though, since she had a massive hangover, and couldn't think straight. Maybe she just didn't have as severe side-effects as herself. And the last Miku remembered, they were both very drunk at the party.

There was no way Megurine-san had taken advantage of her.

Right?

She hit herself in the head. No. She shouldn't be thinking bad of other people like this when she didn't know them. Megurine-san had probably had some side-effects after she had headed downstairs. Megurine-san seemed like a person that wanted to be nice, and not someone who would throw up in front of someone because of a hangover.

If she ever wanted to get over this, she couldn't go around thinking bad things of her. They both couldn't remember anything. She couldn't judge.

"Dinner's done," Megurine-san called from the kitchen. How long had it been? Miku was super out of it.

"Thank you," Miku said, walking into the dining room. She realized why she had just been sitting on the couch all day; it still made her ache and feel nauseous walking. "You didn't have to..."

"Even if you feel like you're going to throw up, you still need something in you," Megurine-san responded. "Ramen's not hard to make, anyways."

Miku sat down, initiating the awkward silence they had gone through the whole day. She stared at her food instead, nothing talking; she would rather endure the quietness than talk about whatever had happened last night.

"So..." Megurine-san trailed off. "I... I'm sorry about what happened. I know it's very awkward for you to think... Well..."

"I-It's okay." Miku still didn't look up from her food. "I-I... I don't know what to think, but I know it's not just your fault. It's still... I... It was my first time. I can't believe I did... whatever I did..."

"I know..." Megurine-san looked at the ground. "It's probably worse that it was with me, huh?"

"What?" Miku felt herself jump inside. Did she make her upset? "N-No, you're not a bad person, I just barely know you and... I... I don't want to seem homophobic but... it's kinda weird that... it was with a girl..."

"I get it. I won't hold it against you. It must be unsettling, after all." Megurine-san looked up; thank goodness she didn't seem to hate her.

"Thanks for understanding, Megurine-san... I sounded like a jerk."

"It's okay. It's just feelings. And please just call me Luka. After this incident, I have a feeling we'll see a lot more of each other."

"I guess you can call me Miku then. And I'm truly sorry about the incident." And though Miku would like to add on_ 'I feel like there's some reason this happened and it can't be only because we were drunk'_, she couldn't say that. It would likely make the older woman apprehensive of her, especially since this was only the day after. "I just don't get how it happened."

"Some things just happen, and they're out of your control, Miku-san. We can't go on blaming ourselves." Luka-san now looked her straight in the eye. Miku met them, for once noticing her face; she'd been avoiding it all day. She could now see the tiredness in Luka-san's eyes, definitely showing she had in fact been drunk, but somehow, found no hint of malice. She felt even worse for thinking that just maybe Luka-san had taken advantage of her. "For now, I think we have to build a friendship, even if it might be awkward now."

"Yeah." Miku nodded. "We have to put the past behind us. It's easier since we don't remember, right?"

Luka-san giggled. "For us, yes. For the public, no. But if we can get over this, the public will have to get over it too."

"That's true... We should do something as quickly as possible so no more rumors start spreading... But what..." Miku trailed off, staring off into space. Then realization hit her. "We could make a song!"

Luka-san smiled, and Miku took that as a good sign. "We'll tell Kaito-san tomorrow to make sure it's okay. Then we could start writing it."

"I hope the public accepts this."

"I'm sure they will. And if they don't, there's nothing they can do about it."


	2. Correction Planning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, opportunity struck, and I'm posting both this chapter and a separate one-shot! Not much to stay here other than hope you enjoy!

Miku walking in the Crypton building was met with stares and gawks.

She felt like lowering her head to the floor in shame, but she knew she couldn't. If she did, everyone would know for sure what happened and would start shunning her. So she walked like it was any other day, ignoring the suspicious glanced and making her way to Kaito-san's office.

Once she was there, she let out a breath she'd been holding. Keeping her head up like that, a fake smile plastered on her face... it felt like she was hiding from something, her heart racing. It made it hard to breathe.

At least in here she was with people who already knew of the incident. They weren't skeptical of her, even if knowing the truth was hard. They wouldn't spread rumors about her.

Speaking of the people in the room... Luka-san had gotten there before her. Miku used public transportation like she always did, so people wouldn't get suspicious if they got there at the same time. So to avoid rumors and disputes between the Vocaloid family, they had all agreed to do this.

"...So," Kaito-san started as soon as Miku sat down. "The magazines are all over this leak. I know things like this happen so I'm not going to blame it on you two. But we need to stop these rumors."

Wow. Kaito-san really wasn't as furious as Miku thought he'd be. "Well... W-We had an idea..."

"We could make a song together," Luka-san continued for her. "It'd help clear up the public's image of us."

"Not a bad idea." Kaito-san seemed to approve of it. "But will you two be up for it? With everything that happened, it might be awkward..."

"If it'll help wipe away what has happened, then yes, I'll do it," Luka-san answered. Miku simply nodded; how was she supposed to say something that would sound as good as that?

"Alright. But I have one request. Forget about everything that has happened. Act like everything is normal, and don't tell anybody the truth. That'll stop more rumors and make you two less suspicious. Okay?"

The two girls nodded.

"Wonderful! Now, I'll start handling the public. You two should get started writing the song. You are dismissed."

Miku's heart, for whatever reason, started beating anxiously in her chest. They could write the song, but what would it be about? She couldn't just come up with a random idea; project would impact her immensely.

And as she looked at Luka-san as they walked out of the room, she couldn't help but feeling that this song would be the most important one of her career.

**0o0o0o0**

"W-Well, this is my office..."

Miku looked over nervously at her new co-worker, Luka-san. She had no idea what was making her anxious; maybe it was the fact an older, more experienced woman was working with her, and that she'd judge everything she did. Especially after...

She shook her head. No, they had to forget that. Or else their whole careers might as well be over with.

Well, she tried to comfort herself with the fact her office didn't look that bad. It was simple, with a couch at the end, and desk on the wall with two chairs, and a tv in the corner. The thing that made her anxious was the fact the walls were drenched in teal.

"No need to be nervous." Luka-san giggled. "It looks nice to me."

_'Oh thank God,'_ Miku felt like saying, but instead she kept it internal. "I-I'm glad you like it," she responded instead, yelling at herself for how awkward it sounded.

Funny. Usually she didn't care about seeming awkward or weird.

"I guess we better get to work now." Miku was happy she kept her voice from wavering. In fact, it was a miracle.

"Of course." They both sat down in a chair, facing the desk. "So first, we have to get an idea out. What do you have in mind?"

"U-Um..." Miku couldn't bring herself to face Luka-san, instead staring at the desk. "I honestly have no idea..."

"It's alright. I don't have one either." Miku felt relieved at that; even someone four years older than her had trouble thinking of songs sometimes.

"At least I'm not alone." She heard Luka-san giggle, and she looked up, smiling. "Well, now that I think about it... How about a song about letting go, that makes you want to dance? Something mesmerizing..."

"You mean something like how we might've felt in the party?"

Miku flushed. "W-Well, I didn't mean to imply that, but... I guess that's what I was thinking of. It has to be vague enough so our fans would never guess the true meaning, or what it's referring to."

"Got it." Luka-san nodded, and Miku noticed her eyes had a hint of excitement in them. "Let's start writing it. The lyrics come first, then the instrumental. At least that's how I write my songs. Is that fine with you?"

"Of course. I tend to do it like that too." Miku opened a drawer, taking out two pieces of paper and two pencils. "Let's write out lyrics then compare. Sound good?"

"It's a great idea." Luka-san took the pencil and paper. "Let's give it an hour."

"Well then..." Miku stared at the clock until it was right before the minute hand moved. "Three, two, one... start!"

**0o0o0o0**

Miku opened the door to her apartment, locking the door behind her. The work day had been more successful than she thought it would be, having written some of the lyrics and come up with a few ideas for a melody. She somehow even felt refreshed.

That was before her phone started buzzing.

It'd been two days since she answered her phone, and yesterday it had been on silent, so she had expected the texts to be over with. Of course not; what was she thinking? Miki would continuously text her until she got a response.

**Miki**: hello? R u there?

**Miki**: Miku, it's been two days pleeeeease respond to me T-T

...Well, Miku supposed it was time to come out of hiding.

**Miku**: Yeah I'm home

**Miki**: OMG Miku!o()o Yay ur texting me!

**Miki**: where were u? U ok?

**Miku**: just come over. Please?

**Miki**: got it~ Coming~

Just as always. The redhead had so much energy, even when texting. In fact, sometimes Miku didn't know how she got a friend with so much excitement and a bubbly personality.

They'd been friends for as long as Miku could remember, and today, they still were. They were both on the Vocaloid team; in fact it was Miki who persuaded Miku to join. Miku still had no idea why Miki couldn't have seen her at work, but she was like that sometimes.

**Miki**: I'm here~ (０)ノ Walking up to ur apartment right now

No later than the text came through was there a knock at the door. Miku opened it, and to no surprise she saw the redhead there. Or she was pretty sure she did because the next second she was tackled in a hug.

"It's been forever since I last saw you!" Miki exclaimed happily, not letting Miku go.

"Um, I saw you two days ago..." Miku trailed off. Unfortunately she knew there was no point in arguing with Miki.

"That's too long," Miki whined, finally letting go of Miku. Miku took that opportunity to shut the door.

"So..." Miku stared at the ground. She usually didn't do that, and she knew it, and she knew Miki would pick up on it right away and start questioning her. But she couldn't help it for some reason.

It wasn't going to be one of those days where they hung out and laughed. Even though Miki could jump from thing to thing, she knew when to stop. And though that's why Miku loved having her as a friend, she sometimes wished Miki didn't stop, and instead kept going, so she wouldn't have to talk about an uncomfortable subject.

"...Are the rumors true?" Miki asked hesitantly. Miku sighed, walking into the living room (which wasn't far, since her apartment was small) and flopped down on the floor. She stared at the ceiling.

"Yeah," she admitted, not looking over at Miki. She was scared what face Miki would make at her, or if they would even be friends anymore. But instead, she saw the redhead lie down right next to her.

"It must be hard, huh?" Miki placed her hand on Miku's arm. "I'm sorry."

"...You don't care that I... I...?" Miku looked over helplessly at Miki. Miki gave her a look of sympathy.

"Miku, I don't care what you do, or how bad it is. I will always be your friend and support you."

"You don't care that it was with... a girl?"

"I'm not a homophobe. I'll still be your friend."

"So even if I murder someone... you won't care?" Miku grinned.

"Miku, you know what I mean." Miki rolled her eyes, smiling. "But I'm happy you're cheering up."

"...I want to get over all this. I really do." Miku looked towards the ceiling once again, sighing. "It's just... hard."

"Well, how does Megurine-san feel about all this?"

"She's been surprisingly... composed. It's been helpful, though, like someone actually knows what to do." Miku laughed, softly and embarrassingly. "It's weird, but... I like her, even after... everything that happened."

"I don't blame you. It must be nice, having her being kind to you instead of her being mean. Especially after _that_."

"But... don't you think it's weird? That out of all people, it was her?"

"Eh, it's a little bit strange, but I wouldn't do anything unless it's _really_ weird. It seems to be fine now, so just do what you need to."

"You're extremely helpful, and I don't know why." Miku smiled once again. This time, it was going to stay there.

"Maybe I'm more _in tune_ with humans than you." Miki put quotation marks around "in tune". At that moment Miki's phone buzzed. The redhead flipped it open, her eyes widening. She sat up.

"Crap, I forgot I had to be home like, ten minutes ago!" Miki rushed to the door, a look of panic on her face.

"I kept you too long?" Miku asked.

"Nah, I'm just forgetful. Haha, I'll be fine." Miki waved her hand in a goodbye gesture. "See ya tomorrow Miku!"

And before Miku could say goodbye the redhead was out the door. The apartment was now quiet, and Miku couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing.

But mostly, after that talk, she wondered what tomorrow was going to be like. After what had happened, nothing was set in stone except for the new song her and Luka-san were making. She felt like anything could change, and anything bad could happen.

After all, she had never expected the incident to even occur.

She stood up, sighing. "Well, I guess I better make dinner..."


	3. Somewhat Back to Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say with this one, other than hope you enjoy!

Miku groaned as her alarm went off; 6:30, according to her, was no time to wake up. But if course, work started at 8:00, and she had to be to the train by 7:30.

She hit the button on the clock and practically rolled out of her bed. It really only took her thirty minutes to get ready, with most of the time going to her hair, but today seemed the be different. She often ended up lost in thought, and only snapped out of it when she glanced at a clock.

Her thoughts mostly consisted of wondering about the work her and Luka-san would be doing, and sometimes, her mind drifted back to the night of the party. She knew she shouldn't be thinking about it, but it was impossible to prevent.

Why was it Luka-san, of all people? Had they both been so drunk it didn't matter who it was with? Or was there some reason they ended up with each other that night? The story to her still wasn't complete in her head. She wanted more facts, more evidence. She wanted it to make sense.

But she knew she shouldn't be thinking like that. It wouldn't make sense right away, she knew, and she just had to wait.

She snapped out of her daze, looking at herself in the mirror with a hairbrush halfway through her teal locks. She shook her head, hurriedly brushing her hair. She really had to stop doing that. It was almost 7:15, and she would have to run to the train.

She quickly put her hair up into twin tails and rushed out the door. If she hurried, she should be able to make it to the train in time. For once that morning, she focused only on getting there.

And she made it with two minutes to spare. She doubled over, taking in gasps of air. Oh thank _God_ she made it on time.

"Miku-san?" Miku looked up. She then felt her anxiousness come back; Luka-san was there, right in front of her.

"L-Luka-san?" Miku asked, shocked. "H-How come I've never seen you here before?"

"I usually take the 7:15 train." Luka-san smiled, and Miku noticed her eyes lit up when she did so. For some reason, it made her smile too. "I was late today."

"Well, I was almost late too, so..." Miku stood up fully. "I ran here."

"I could tell." Luka-san giggled. Miku felt her face flush.

"O-Oh, there's the train," Miku stuttered, changing the subject. "L-Let's get on, before we miss it. I mean, I just ran here not to miss it, and it'd be bad if I still missed it."

Miku flushed an even darker shade of red at her rambling. The anxiousness had now turned to nervousness, and she didn't even know why. Even walking on to the train together made it hard for Miku to breathe.

Was she still being effected by that night? Or was it just her being weird?

It was probably just her being weird.

Miku stared at the ground. Though she liked taking the train, one of the downsides was that everyone could see her. After a while, they started to ignore her, since most were regulars and had already talked to her. Although once in a while somebody would come up to her and ask for an autograph (which had convinced her that her fans were superhuman, since you could barely even move on the trains in the morning), they were usually polite.

But not today. Nobody looked at her or dared to even acknowledge her. It wasn't as bad as the day before, but it seemed people were still apprehensive of it.

And now that she thought about it, it was probably made even worse by the fact Luka-san was standing right next to her.

Miku's only option, unfortunately, was to wait the agonizing silence out until their stop came. It felt like years before she was able to rush off the train, not even caring who followed her. She just needed to get out of there, out of the crowd of people that seemed to be judging her every movement.

She looked behind her once she had gotten off the train. People dispersed around her, like she didn't even exist. She sighed. She figured she'd been overreacting, but unfortunately there was some truth to her quick escape; some people were giving her harsh stares, like she was an unwanted fly on a wall.

She didn't even feel nervous when Luka-san walked up to her after getting off the train. She was too focused on the apprehensive looks everyone was giving her. She didn't notice they were giving the same to Luka-san, which was made worse when the pinkette started talking to the tealette.

"They're giving me the same looks," Luka-san observed, which was obviously meant as a way to comfort Miku. Miku, however, didn't notice her, only the horrified glances of her fans.

Former fans.

"Miku-san," Luka-san tried again. No avail. "Miku!"

Miku then glanced up at the pinkette, her face flushing embarrassedly after she realized Luka-san had been trying to get her attention. "Y-Yes?" She stuttered out, forcing herself to look at Luka-san.

"It's the same for me," Luka-san comforted. "They all avoid me."

"B-But..." Miku trailed off, staring at the ground. She felt unwanted tears well up in her eyes. They were like this yesterday... how come it effected her now? "I-It's just so... jarring... I-I guess I didn't realize it yesterday, since everything felt kinda like a dream, b-but..."

"It's alright." Luka-san held Miku's hand. Miku relished in the comfort, and despite herself, she felt her heart accelerate at the slight contact.

"L-Luka-san... I-I..." Miku blushed, not exactly wanting to let go of Luka-san's hand, but not wanting to make anybody more suspicious. She covered her face in her free hand to attempt to hide her red cheeks. "E-Everyone, they can... s-see us..."

Still, the hand didn't go away. Only after a few seconds did it go away, making Miku disappointed and somewhat relieved. "Sorry, I won't do it again if you don't like it," Luka-san apologized. Miku then faced the pinkette once again despite her face being beet-red.

"N-No, I don't, I mean, I-I like i-it... I-I don't _not_ like it..." Miku rambled, much to Luka-san's amusement. The taller singer smiled and giggled.

"No need to be flustered." Luka-san's smile only increased more as Miku's face kept darkening. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"N-No, I wasn't uncomfortable, just thought that because we're in public..." Miku trailed off, but Luka-san needed no further explanation.

"They're glares are turning harsher," Luka-san confirmed, nodding her head solemnly. Miku wished she wouldn't have to say something like that, or need to confirm something like that.

"Let's just go..." Miku sighed, shaking her head slowly. She felt really bad about this; it was partially her fault this whole thing was happening, and now her co-star had to go through it too.

It must've shown on her face, because Luka-san turned to her and gave her a small smile. Miku gave her one back, feeling a little better that the pinkette understood.

They walked in silence. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable; in fact, far from it. In was a silence in which Miku was lost in her thoughts, and whether Luka-san was or not she didn't know. Either way, Luka-san kept her privacy, which she thanked her immensely for doing so.

Mostly, Miku's thoughts consisted of hating herself for being so awkward earlier. She had (somewhat) gotten over the people's incredulous stares; that happened every once in a while, and getting over it was essential to being a pop idol. It would take a little bit to fully come to terms with it, and that's something she could do. But her awkward stammering and flushing face...

She wished she could die right now.

She doubted Luka-san would forget anytime soon. She had just made a negative impression on the one person she had to not make a negative impression on. She felt like yelling at herself for that, but she knew she couldn't. Because the person she had done that to was _right next_ to her.

"Miku-san." Miku almost jumped at Luka-san's voice once again; what was up with here? "I don't think we'll be able to go through the front door..."

Miku looked over to where the pinkette pointed, and gasped in shock. So many people stood in front of the door, with cameras and microphones, just on the other side of the street... In front of the Crypton building...

"W-Why weren't they here yesterday?" Miku asked, confused. Paparazzi was normal, especially after what had just happened, but they weren't there yesterday... It was unusual, considering an article covering this whole incident had been out for three days.

"Well, the first day, we weren't here," Luka-san pointed out. "Yesterday, we got there a bit late, and Kaito-san had surely shown them off. But today, we're here on time."

"Then... how are we going to get in?" Miku knew if even one of those reporters saw her and Luka-san it was the equivalent of the death sentence. Her career was as good as dead if she was forced to answer their questions.

"There's a back way," Luka-san answered. "But we have to be very careful walking around. It's not exactly the best way to stay out of sight..."

"Ah, they won't notice us." Miku started walking down the past: this back way had to be in the back of the building. "I mean, I hope not. I-If we want this to work."

"So we just run back there?"

"E-Exactly." Miku nodded. Thank god they were on the other side of the street. The reporters would've noticed them right away if they weren't.

Luka-san giggled. "Not the stealthiest plan, but I like it."

"W-Well, how are we supposed to be stealthy?" Miku felt her face flush lightly once again. "There's a road we have to cross to get there and we can't exactly tiptoe through it!"

"I know, Miku-san." And despite the fact Luka-san was shamelessly teasing her, Miku liked the way her name rolled off Luka-san's tongue. It just sounded-

_'Oh, shut up Miku!'_ She yelled internally. _'What is wrong with you!'_ She felt like slapping herself for thinking that when they had to get to work.

There had to be something wrong with her. First the awkwardness now this...

"I-I think we're far enough now..." Miku stared across the street. "It's right over there, right?"

"Yup." Luka-san nodded.

"T-Then... Let's run. Um... three, two, one... go!" Miku felt awkward saying it like that, but she had to. They both ran across, hoping they wouldn't be seen.

If they did or didn't, Miku didn't know. She heard shuffling of footsteps behind them, and she swore the reporters almost caught her. It was rather hard to miss pink and teal hair. Somehow, despite all that, they made it inside, locking the door behind them.

She instantly smiled, leaning against the wall. "My plan worked," she breathed in amazement. Luka-san returned her glad expression, and for some reason, that made Miku even happier.

"Of course it would." Luka-san grinned. Hearing the pinkette say that... it was like a dream. It boosted Miku's self-confidence, and she felt like she ruled the world.

"Hey..." Miku started as they walked away. She was feeling bold, after the compliment she had just got — was that a compliment? It didn't matter to her — and she usually wouldn't ask stuff like this, but she wasn't controlling herself anymore. "How did you know there was a back entrance there?"

Luka-san's usually calm expression turned slightly surprised, as if she didn't know what to say to that. Then she got composed again, leaving Miku to wonder if she actually saw that right. "Once you work here for a while, you get to know the layout of the place." Luka-san gave her a small smile, despite her vague answer. It felt weird, familiar even, like déjà vu...

Had she heard that somewhere before? She couldn't remember...

"Anyways, let's get to work!" Luka-san changed the subject, her smile growing. Miku forgot the moment before; she'd worry about that later. She had to focus on the song now. "I have an idea for a melody."

"I do too! And more lyrics." Miku smiled back. It was relaxing, being able to work like normal.

"Then let's make as much progress on it as we can, yeah?"

"Of course! Let's get straight to work!"


	4. Over-Analytical

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? Another day, another chapter. Enjoy!

The days passed amazingly fast: a surprising chunk of work on the new song got done in those few weeks. Already they had figured out the final lyrics — for the most part, and that was only if they wanted to change something later — and were now working on the music part.

...Except, to Miku, there was always something off.

As she got to work with the pinkette more, something kept nagging at the back of her mind, and she didn't know what. She felt like she should remember something, but she never did. It annoyed her, and confused her. Why now, of all times? Why didn't she feel like this before, when it would've made more sense?

Why was she just remembering now?

She should've remembered _weeks_ ago, should've started to piece together clues way before now. A week after the incident was too late to start remembering — god forbid almost a month — and now it was too late to go back.

Of course, even then, she couldn't suddenly say "I don't want to do this project anymore". Once she'd said her idea, she couldn't back out of it or do anything about it. She hadn't thought it through enough when she'd suggested it. She did that a lot. She was normally self-conscious but when she got an idea, she went with it, only to realize days later all the faults in it.

Somehow, all those ideas had turned out okay. So hopefully this one would too. Because even thought she had a feeling something was off, she still didn't think Luka-san was a bad person.

Not yet, at least.

"She's not a bad person," she murmured sternly to herself as she walked out of the Crypton building. Luka-san had been nothing but kind to her the past weeks. Why did she keep doubting that? Sure, there were some flashes or memory coming back, but she couldn't blame that on her co-worker.

It was just all too much in her head. She wanted to forget it, but then she also wanted to find out what happened _that night_, and then she had to work on the song to resolve the incident in the first place.

She shook her head. She just had to stop thinking so hard. She could do that later, when she wasn't walking home where everyone could see her. At least then it'd be private. Preferably she'd just stop giving herself a headache, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. Not with her personality.

When she finally make it to her apartment, it felt like years had passed. She was half surprised she made it was all the spacing out and think she had done, but mostly relieved she could get in her apartment and just relax. Get her mind off the problem.

She just needed something to focus on. Something she could do repetitively and not even have to think about it. Or not even have to do anything at all.

Unfortunately nothing came to mind. Her apartment was clean as usual and she didn't feel like preparing anything. Mentally, she was exhausted. So she heated up something to eat and ended up doing nothing but watch TV. At least that took her mind off things.

For a whole minute before her phone buzzed.

Sighing, she opened up her phone. She then saw the message, and worst of all, it was from an unknown number.

**Unknown**: Hello!

Oh god. Was it one of those stalkers that somehow got her number? She decided to play dumb and pretend she _wasn't_ Hatsune Miku.

**Miku**: I think you have the wrong number.

**Unknown**: It's not Hastune Miku? You gave your number to me at work, remember?

**Unknown**: It's Megurine Luka :)

Oh. _Oh_. She felt like slapping herself. _Of course_. She gave Luka-san her phone number earlier so it'd be easier to contact each other for the song and promotion for how far into development it was. Honestly, when she finally got the courage the spit out the idea, she wondered why she hadn't done it earlier, considering it'd been _weeks_ since the start of the project.

And then the realization sank in. Luka-san was texting her. _Actually_ texting her. And she didn't seem to think it was weird they had exchanged numbers. Her heart stared beating louder, and just a little faster.

Which was odd, since the shock of being able to talk to someone as famous as Luka-san should've worn off long ago. In fact it shouldn't even be a shock since the pinkette was her co-worker.

**Unknown**: Miku-san? Are you still there?

Oh geez. She had spaced out again. She quickly typed a reply back, making sure her shaking hands didn't make a typo.

**Miku**: yeah, still here, added your contact in, haha.

That was a half-lie; right after she sent that, she gave the number a contact so she wouldn't do something as embarrassing as _that_ again. And now that was sinking in too, and by the second she hated herself more and more for _not_ remembering her own co-worker's number.

**Luka-san**: I did too, don't want to think a random person is texting me when it's you

...Wait a second, did that mean Luka-san wanted to talk to her? No, wait, she was overanalyzing that. Luka-san just wanted to make sure she knew when she was texting her about the song, right? It'd seem weird if a random person was texting about the new song.

**Miku**: yeah, makes sense, haha

Wow. Miku cringed at her own awkward reply as soon as she sent it. This was _not_ going how she wanted it to. She should've expected it, though; the only person she talked to normally seemed to be Miki nowadays, since she had been friends with her for who knows how long.

**Luka-san**: Well, unfortunately I texted you for more than just to chat. I know we both have the day off tomorrow but would you like to come over to work on the song?

Whoa. Wow. Okay.

Miku almost dropped her phone once she read the whole thing through. And again. And again. She almost felt like telling Luka-san she had to do something so she could think of what to reply. But no. She couldn't do that. That'd be weird. Suspicious even.

Luka-san wanted her to _come over_ to her house.

Just the _thought_ of that made her heart race once again. If she went over, she knew she probably wouldn't get any work done with how she was acting right now. At work, it was in a public, controlled environment, but Luka-san's house...

That was private. Uncontrolled.

Nobody could see them.

She wouldn't be able to focus if she went there, but she wanted to go _so bad_...

**Miku**: yeah, sure! What time?

**Luka-san**: Around noon is fine. I'll be home all day so it doesn't matter if you're late :)

**Luka-san**: Well, I have to go make dinner now. Bye, Miku-san!

**Miku**: goodbye!

Miku exhaled. Oh god. She really just did that.

She had typed without thinking. Her mind went on instinct, not consequence.

But what was she supposed to do if she said no? She didn't want to see Luka-san disappointed, and over text was just _that much_ worse. Because she wouldn't know how the pinkette was really feeling. But excitement usually wasn't faked... right?

Miku sighed, shutting off her phone. What exactly _were_ her feelings towards Luka-san? Disgust for the incident? Amazement for still being willing to talk to her? She had to figure out what her true feelings were. She couldn't be confused this whole time...

But she couldn't lie to herself either.

So what _did_ she feel?

She shut off the TV too, leaving her in silence with only her thoughts. There's no way she felt disgust towards Luka-san; maybe she was confused right after the incident and a little stunned, but to be disgusted never crossed her mind. She knew things like that happened in life so there was no point making a huge deal out of it. Amazement? Well, maybe a little bit.

But that didn't explain every fluttery feeling she'd get when she so much as looked at the pinkette.

It'd been developing over the past weeks. At first it'd been nothing more than a slight self-conscious feeling whenever she did something awkward around Luka-san. She was more focused on the nagging feeling that she forgot something important with the incident, after all. But now... Now it escalated into more then just _that_.

Miku wasn't dumb: she knew full well what these feelings were. And she wanted to forget them. Tell herself that it's some leftover feeling from that night. But she knew that was wrong.

These were the feelings associated with liking somebody. She was on the road to love.

And her whole career could be ruined because of it.

She didn't think it was because of that night; rather, that night set her up to have this all happen. You don't fall in love with somebody because of a one-night stand. You usually stay the night then leave in the morning, no questions asked. But because of their circumstances, and the need to cover the incident up, they were forced to work together.

If they had worked together just normally, without having to cover anything up, Miku was almost one-hundred percent sure the same feelings would come out of it. And maybe then it would've been a little easier to explain it, play it off as promotion for some song.

But having feelings would _confirm_ what happened that night. Maybe in the wrong way, but then the theories would become undeniable.

_That's_ why she wanted to forget her feelings. It's why she'd rather focus on uncovering what happened that night. But her heart wouldn't obey. It never would, would it?

She'd gone through the whole "liking someone" deal a couple times before, back in her school days. Never once had she actually admitted her feelings. And those feelings weren't as strong as these. She didn't want to automatically say it was a sign of true love, but deep inside — below all the "willingness to forget" to make her life a little easier — her she hoped that it was.

Being alone was, well, _lonely_. Sometimes she wished she didn't live alone, or that she had a romantic partner just because she'd never had one before. But of course she'd been an idol since a the last few years of High School, which was _her choice_. And she'd never thought about it this deeply before.

She growled at herself. She was supposed to be an adult, but now she was acting like a teen. She sighed. She had to keep it together. For the sake of her career and everyone around her.

She slowly got up and made her way to her room. Everything was just so confusing: well, maybe not confusing, but inconvenient. She changed into her pyjamas and tried to go to sleep, just to be peaceful and forget for once.

Needless to say, it was a long night.


	5. Heart and Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, not much to say, haha. Hope you enjoy!

Miku examined herself in the mirror. Was it too casual? Not formal enough? She had to make this outfit _perfect_. She couldn't go too formal, because Luka-san probably wasn't wearing anything fancy. After all, it was just a day off. But she didn't want to seem like a total slob on her days off, either.

She gripped the ends of her gray and teal skirt, a tinge of worry crossing her face. Was it too... short? It wasn't, it was just like everything else she wore. It came down to just above the middle of her thigh, but now, it seemed... inappropriate.

And though she'd worn it many times before, and many others just like it, it seemed too daring to go over to Luka-san's in. But was she just overreacting? Maybe... maybe she was. But she didn't want to risk it...

Well, too late now. It was already 11:45. She had to leave, since it took about a fifteen minutes to walk to Luka-san's place. She lived in the neighborhood just across the street from her apartment complex, which explained why they took the same train in the morning.

And still, although Miku tried to keep her mind on simple things to keep herself calm, her mind spiraled out of control in just a few minutes. Would Luka-san like her? Had she always been faking and now she was going to tell the cold, hard truth? Was it going to be like any other day?

And the text kept replaying in her head. It was so casual, just like someone would text to their friend on any normal day. Did that mean Luka-san considered her a _friend_?Or was it just one of those friendly co-worker things?

Yeah. It was. It was just a normal, friendly thing to do and they were going to get work done because they were _co-workers_. Of course. That had to be it. What was she thinking? Everything about this was just a friendly gesture.

She was overthinking this. Overthinking this _way _too much. It was a song. Just a song, for goodness sake.

Her mind had been in such turmoil that she had almost missed Luka-san's house. It fact, she wouldn't have noticed it if it wasn't for her having memorized the address earlier. God, it would've been so embarrassing if she had forgotten the pinkette's phone number _and _address.

And as she walked up to the porch of the house, anxious started to kick in. She felt her heart beat more nervously than it had in years. She shouldn't be, she told herself — after all, it was probably just one of those friendly co-worker things, nothing to be anxious about — but her body wouldn't agree. Her heart begged to differ.

Why was it such a big deal just to walk to her co-worker's door?!

"Get it together," she muttered to herself, exhaling. She could feel the thumping in her chest painfully well as she rang the doorbell, bouncing nervously. It felt like time slowed and forever passed in just a few seconds before Luka-san opened the door.

She wore a light pink blouse (in fact, it almost looked purely white) with small frills at the bottom. She had a skirt on, too, which was mid-thigh length and was purely black. It made Miku feel a lot better for wearing one, even if her's was like a schoolgirl's and Luka-san's had a more formal look to it.

"You made it," Luka-san said, a smile on her face. Miku smiled back, feeling a little less awkward. The pinkette opened the door more, making room for Miku to walk right in. "Welcome! Come in."

Even if Miku had been here before (under... circumstances) it still amazed her how much larger Luka-san's place was than her own. Of course, that had everything to do with the fact the pinkette owned a house and not an apartment. Still, it surprised her how comfortable it felt and not... empty.

And comfort after what had happened in this house was strange. Strange but definitely not unwelcome. It meant she was actually putting the past behind her, and forgetting about it. One step closer to resolving the incident once and for all.

Miku heard the gentle shut of the door behind her, and she turned around, feeling a little bit rude for ignoring her pink-haired co-worker, if even for just a second. It had been Luka-san who invited her over, after all. Even if just looking at her made butterflies explode in her stomach...

"Do you want something to drink?" Luka-san asked. Although the question was simple, something _everybody_ used when they invited a guest over, Miku's brain froze. That was a formal question, right? What would be the best choice? Nothing, or would that seem like she wasn't comfortable? Or would having something be needy?

"U-Um, water, I-I guess," Miku stuttered. "Please," she added quickly, trying not to seem rude.

"Of course." The pinkette smiled. She walked away towards the kitchen, and Miku let out a breath. She was surprised she didn't feel her face flushing yet. She'd been noticing this happening over the past week, but this time was the worst: she could barely get a sentence out without having her brain fail her. She could barely _look_ at Luka-san without her mind going blank.

And in no time it was happening again. Luka-san handed her the glass of water. Miku took it gingerly, feeling their hands brush, and her already nervous state increase tenfold. She felt like she might drop the glass.

"Th-Thanks," she managed, looking at the ground. She was sure her face was a light pink. And she had no idea how she was supposed to function now. Hell, she forgot how to breathe for a few seconds.

"Let's go upstairs," Luka-san said. Miku has no idea how she acted like this awkward encounter was no big deal, her own freaking out over water nothing out of the ordinary. "I started making a rough version of the music. It's nowhere near finished, but I'd like your input on it."

"Of course." There it was again. That smile the pinkette always seemed to flash her whenever they were working together. And every single time, it caught her off-guard, and made her heart rate go up to heights she thought were impossible. Heart rates so fast it made it hard to breathe. Heart rates that might even be bad for her health.

And she found herself daydreaming about the person next to her as she followed Luka-san up the stairs, just to do something as simple as work on a song. She couldn't keep her mind from wondering what her long, pink hair felt like, or how it would feel to have their hands intertwined, or to just be more than co-workers and be friends. Good friends.

Maybe more than friends.

Miku didn't realize they had made it to the room before a door closed behind her once again. She snapped back to reality, and a nervous one at that. It took all she had in her not to snap her head around and tell Luka-san — _beg_ Luka-san — not to close the door. It felt too... _intimate_. Intimacy meant anxiousness. She shouldn't be feeling anxious, she couldn't be.

It's just a song. They're only working _on a song_.

"I'll get the program up." Luka-san walked past Miku; too suddenly in her opinion, as she almost jumped in surprise. The pinkette opened her laptop on her desk.

And suddenly Miku realized where they were. Luka-san's room. _The_ room.

Her heart rate skyrocketed and just as soon as she made that realization, Luka-san motioned for her to come over and sit down. Walking even a few steps felt strained, and sitting right next to the pink-haired beauty, even if she had done it countless times before, made her feel like the air around her got thinner.

It took only a few seconds for the program to be successfully opened, but by then Miku could already feel that her palms were covered in a thin layer of sweat, and it took all her will for her to keep her breathing normal. She had to remember to inhale and exhale at a normal rate, lest the pinkette next to her find out what was going on. She couldn't possibly confess all this. She never would.

The sight of music, however, calmed her a little bit. She saw the melody for both the voice parts written out, and a few guitar riffs here and there. So far, so good.

"Here." Luka-san moved the cursor on the laptop to the play button and grabbed a pair of headphones, plugging it into the computer and holding them out to Miku. She found herself backing away a little bit in surprise, causing the pinkette to smile. "It's okay, I made sure none of the chords are completely out of tune. You should listen to it, I want your feedback."

A more experienced member of the Vocaloid group wanted her feedback...? She nervously took the headphones, hoping Luka-san couldn't see how much her hands were shaking. It didn't seem like it, however, as only a few seconds later the music was playing in her ears.

It started out with a fast guitar melody, soon replaced with the lyrics. Miku recognized them; they were exactly as they wrote them. The voice part then went into a quick rap, bridging to the chorus.

The chorus had longer notes than the verses, but she found herself loving the few minor chords it possessed. The guitar lapsed into a simple long note part, making way for just the voices.

As the song went on, she noticed something, however: only the main voice part could be heard, unless you listened very carefully for the other voice. And she knew the main voice part belonged to her... which meant Luka-san's part was almost unnoticeable.

She listened to the rest of the unfinished song play out, noticing more and more that the second person in the duet could barely be heard. She wanted to bring this up, but how? She'd probably end up stammering like an idiot. And the rest of the song was amazing: it's not like this ruined the entire thing.

And yet... she knew it would keep nagging at her if she never said it. Then she'd end up regretting. And she couldn't afford to regret now. She didn't want to deal with that along with these new feelings.

So she took off the headphones a few seconds after the song finished, putting on a smile. She did love the song, of course, and that Luka-san composed it made it all the more special.

The pinkette, seeing that Miku had finished listening, looked up at her. And though Miku ought to be used to it, she could never get over the exact shade of blue Luka-san's eyes were — Miku's favorite — and how her heart stopped every time she saw them. And coupled with the beautiful smile that was almost always on Luka-san's face, that somehow made her eyes even brighter, Miku almost couldn't look at her without forgetting how to breathe.

"So, how'd you like it?" Luka-san asked. The question abruptly shook Miku out of a daze, almost making her jump, but she restrained herself.

"U-Um, I loved it!" Oh crap. That sounded like she forced herself to say that. "I-I mean, seriously, I loved it," she awkwardly corrected herself. She couldn't meet Luka-san's eyes at this point, with how embarrassing that was and what she was about to say, so her eyes traveled back to the computer screen. "Except..."

"Except what? Did it not fit the mood you wanted to go for?"

"N-No! Not at all, it was perfect. It's just... well... you can only hear my part."

Miku looked back up nervously at the pinkette. Luka-san's face was blank, and suddenly Miku was anxious again. Oh god, she shouldn't have mentioned that. Was that a stupid thing to say? It probably was, wasn't it.

But only a second later Luka-san's face softened. A small smile took over her lips, returned the brightness to her eyes that Miku loved to see.

"You don't have to worry about that," Luka-san said. "I did that on purpose."

"What?" Miku felt her anxiety give way to confusion. "Why?"

Luka-san's face clouded over, only so much that it was barely noticeable. "Well... To put it simply, it's to make up for the incident. I-"

"Wait, no! You don't have to make up for that, that's not your fault!" Miku normally would've never have interrupted the pinkette, but there was no way she was staying silent on this. "If it's anybody's fault, it's mine. I'm young, and I was probably confused, a-and-"

She cut off when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her heart stopped once again she Luka-san was looking right at her, staring into her eyes. She felt her face redden, and she wondered momentarily if Luka-san could hear her heartbeat with how loud it was.

"Miku, you don't understand." No way. Luka-san didn't even use a honorific. She was touching her. _On the shoulder_. And they were _alone_. "I can... remember some things. And it might've been me who... well... initiated the whole thing."

Just then, Miku noticed the melancholy in the pinkette's eyes. The blue wasn't vibrant anymore, and was instead replaced with depth, like she was looking into a hollow shell.

"B-But... it's still not your fault," Miku argued quietly. "We were both intoxicated, we couldn't control-"

"But I could've ruined our careers, Miku!" Luka-san's eyes flashed a mix of sadness and anger before returning back to its empty state. "More importantly, your career. You're young and have more years ahead of you than I do, and if I ended that early..."

Emotion shot through Miku's heart. She couldn't tell what it was: sorrow for Luka-san, happiness that Luka-san cared for her, or even a tinge of excitement that maybe, just maybe, her feelings might be even slightly reciprocated, but whatever it was, it didn't stay in her heart. It stung her eyes, made her legs weak, made breathing difficult. It effected *everything*.

"...You know what, Luka-san?" Miku, through the pain, smiled. "It doesn't matter. We're both still here, and we're making this amazing song. I don't care who started it; we can figure that out later. But what we're making wouldn't have happened with that."

Luka-san blinked, and in that blink, the emptiness went away. The brightness returned to Luka-san's eyes, and Miku's heart started fluttering once again.

"You're right." A smile graced Luka-san's lips once more. "I'm sorry you had to see that: I was being dramatic. I don't know what came over me."

The cheesy apology made Miku's smile expand across her face. Luka-san, being awkward and adorable? She never imagined she would see that.

"It's fine. I had a mental breakdown when this first happened; you're just doing it now."

Something that didn't return, however, to Miku was her nervous. She felt slightly more comfortable, even if being in a room, alone, in Luka-san's house still wasn't normal. The pinkette, it seemed, had even more sympathy than she imagined. And specifically, for her.

"Lets work on the song again," Luka-san said. "I can fix that, if you want."

"O-Oh, no, if you like it like that you don't _have_ to change it. I-I was just s-suggesting."

Luka-san giggled at Miku's flustered face, making it turn even more red. "Oh, and Miku?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"You can just call me Luka."


	6. A Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is where my beginner's mistakes start to show lol. I think I made it too angsty too quick... oh well, I said I wouldn't edit this, so here's the original, even with it's flaws! Hope you enjoy!

"Miku! Did you really?!"

Miku closed the door to Miki's office. Two seconds into her lunch break, and the redhead was already asking her questions. Miku smiled. Typical.

"Did I really what?" Miku asked back, sitting on one of Miki's brightly colored couches. Miki made a look that was a mixture of fake frustration and pure excitement.

"Oh, come _on_! You know what I mean!" Miki sat down next to Miku, bouncing up and down in her seat. "Megurine-san's house. Did you really go?"

Miku nodded. Miki made a little squealing noise and clapped her hands together.

"No _way_! What was it like? What did you two do?"

"We just kinda worked on the song." Miku fiddled with her hands. God, even talking about the pinkette made her nervous. "What any normal co-workers would do, really." Well, that was kinda of a lie, but no way Miku was telling her that.

Miki raised her eyebrows. "Are you _sure_?"

"Absolutely positive."

Miki sighed and fell back on the couch. "_Mikuuuuu_," she said, sounding frustrated. "You could've told her!"

"Told her what?" Miku hoped this wasn't going where she thought it was going.

"Told her that you- mpf!"

Miku slapped a hand over Miki's mouth. "Shh! Don't say that!" Miku whisper-shouted, taking her hand gingerly off Miki's face.

"What, that you like her?" Miki whispered back, raising her eyebrows.

"I _don't_," Miku said pointedly.

"_Suure_ you don't." Miki grinned. "Like I can't see you do."

"How?" Miku countered. "Prove it."

"Gladly." Miki cracked her fingers. "Well, let's see... I catch you staring at her, see you smiling at almost everything she says, always agree to her ideas, and... oh, when you talked about going over to her house just a minute ago I saw you get nervous. Point proven?"

Miku sat there, unable to form words to say. What would she even counter that with? The defiant look Miki was giving her didn't help either.

"Oh, I totally knew it!" Miki jumped in her seat. "Got you there!"

Miku sighed and fell back into the couch, the first movement and sound she'd made in a minute. "Okay, fine, you did. Whatever. I can't tell her anyways."

"Why not?" Miki asked, obviously confused.

"I... well... what if she doesn't like me back?"

"Miku, have you _not_ seen her? I'm like almost a hundred percent sure she likes you." Miki rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Miku, you are _so_ oblivious."

"No, I'm just cautious," Miku countered. "I just don't want to get my heart broken."

"But you can't _not_ try. At least drop hints. Tell her eventually, _okay_? Good." Miki stood up, smiling. "Now get out of my room! Your break is almost over and you gotta work with Megurine-san."

Miku almost facepalmed — and laughed — when she saw Miki raising her eyebrows suggestively. "Yeah, sure, _okaaay_."

"C'mon, get some energy!" Miki whined as Miku left the room. "See ya! Don't forget what I said!"

Miku stared at the door as it closed. "Miki, I don't know if what you're saying is true, but I sure hope it is," Miku whispered to herself, turning and leaving to get ready to work on the song.

**0o0o0o0**

The day of work was finally over, and Miku wasn't feeling any more sure that Luka-san had feelings for her than earlier.

It was like that day at her house had been forgotten, even if it happened only yesterday. The pinkette was back acting like her normal self, and that normal self didn't drop any hints.

But Miku kept thinking of her and Miki's talk earlier. Of how Luka-san liked her. But no, like wasn't enough, had feelings for her was better.

_Loved_ her. There it was. _Loved_ her. Miku wanted Luka-san to love her. She wanted her to comfort her in her hard times, hold her hand while they were walking down the halls, kiss her whenever they got the chance. She didn't care what other's would think, of how they were the same gender, how the incident happened. None of it mattered to her.

The only thing that mattered was Luka-san, now that she actually admitted it to herself.

She had to find out. She had to know now if Luka-san actually loved her or not, or just liked her, or if she even had a chance with her. Even the slightest chance, slightest hint of affection would make her happy. Her simple crush just a month back had turned into so much more, so consuming that she could be considered obsessed. It wouldn't be wrong, either.

Suddenly, the sight of pink hair made her heart jump before she even realized it was Luka-san. This was it. Though she could barely hear her thoughts over her pounding heart, she was going to do this. She _had_ to do this.

"Miku-san?" Luka-san stopped and blinked at Miku in confusion, causing blood to rush to Miku's face. But she had made up her mind: she wasn't going to let this stop her this time. "I thought you left already-"

Miku rushed forward and grabbed the pinkette's hand, cutting her off. "Come with me." Luka-san obviously wasn't expecting that, as it was easy to drag her into one of the private hallways that led to now-abandoned working rooms.

"Miku-" The pinkette tried to speak once again, and yet again was cut off by Miku, who pushed her into the darkest corner so she wouldn't risk being discovered.

"Luka-san." Suddenly nervous butterflies floated up inside her. Too late now: the words were rushing out. "Do you like me?"

In retrospect, "like" was not the word she wanted to use. The word like meant a simple crush, maybe as small as "I want to be your friend" and maybe as big as "I want to know you better". But like didn't mean "I want to kiss you", or "I want to feel you in my arms", or "I want to come home with you everyday", or "I never want to let you go".

That's what love meant.

But Miku hadn't wanted to scare Luka-san off with the word. She'd be satisfied — for now — if the pinkette as little as liked her.

It was good she did, because Luka-san visibly tensed up, even in the dark. Love would've been too much for her, Miku realized with dismay, but maybe she still had a chance.

"Miku, I-I..." For the first time, the teal-eyed beauty trailed off. Miku's heart pounded louder in her chest. And she couldn't resist herself; she wrapped her arms around Luka-san, hoping that maybe, just maybe, that would push her to say "yes".

And staring up into Luka-san's eyes, she could see, even dimly lit, that conflict was going on in them. So she didn't hate her, and she had a chance, the slimmest of chances with her.

"Miku, I can't." The look of sadness in Luka-san's eyes penetrated into Miku's soul, and suddenly, Miku felt self-conscious. What did think she was doing? Of course Luka-san couldn't: what would a popular idol like her want to do with her co-worker? Miku released the pinkette from her arms, feeling a hole open up inside of her.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." She stuttered, taking steps backwards. She searched Luka-san's eyes, looking for a last bit of hope, but all she could see was sadness.

Pity for her.

"Forget it." Miku stared at the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please."

And then she turned around, running, trying not to let the tears spill over. Maybe faintly, she could hear Luka-san calling out for her, but she wrote it off as imagination, and it was quickly replaced with her own hyperventilation. She flew out the doors of the Crypton building, not wanting to ever go back. She hadn't even made it to the train station yet when the countless amount of tears started flowing.

There was no chance for her.


	7. Redeeming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, second to last chapter! I thank you all for sticking to this story for so long: it's flawed, but it's still the first Negitoro fic I ever finished :) I hope you enjoy this chapter!

"...What happened?"

Miku guessed it should've been obvious Miki would ask that right away: she always noticed when something was off about her. But part of her wished her best friend couldn't do that for once, that she'd cheer her up instead of comforting her. Unfortunately, Miki always wanted to know what's wrong before anything else.

"Well..." Miku trailed off. The fresh memory rushed at her: the hope that she had, the effort that she put into it, that had all been crushed so easily... Tears welled up in her eyes, and she cursed herself for being so sensitive. "I-I... I told her..."

"...Really?" Miki asked, a bit of astonishment in her voice. "What... Oh."

Miki walked over to her, giving her a comforting hug. "I-I'm sorry I'm so sensitive," Miku apologized, still trying not to cry.

"Miku, you're not." Miki pulled out of the hug, a small, sad smile on her lips. "I'm proud that you actually did it."

"I-I shouldn't have." A tear slipped down Miku's face, and she wiped it away quickly. She was starting to hyperventilate too, and she wished she didn't cry every time something _mildly_ upsetting, something that shouldn't be important, happened.

"Why not?" Miki asked, genuine confusion in her voice. The question mark ahoge on her head helped a lot. "There's nothing bad about it."

"Y-Yes, there is." Miku sat down on her small couch, another tear slipping down her face. "I still have to work with her, a-and she probably hates me now..."

"Hates you? That's a little far." Miki sat down next to her. "If anything, she's _more_ than upset about what happened."

"H-Huh?" Miku wiped her eyes again, taking in a shaking breath. "N-No, she's probably not... All I saw was p-pity..."

"But... I saw her after you left..."

"R-Really?" Curiosity bubbled up inside of her, and she felt like the girl from before this happened, the one with a hopeless crush on a co-worker. She was hoping for something not even possible, something that shouldn't happen, anyways. But despite that, she still asked. "W-What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything." Miki pursed her lips. "Buuuut she _did_ look pretty lost afterwards. Kinda like a sad kind of lost."

"No way," Miku said, shaking her head. "She wouldn't..."

She trailed off, remembering the aftermath. Her running off, and the thing she'd thought was just her hopeful imagination. Something that was false hope.

"...Maybe she would," she murmured. "She would," she repeated louder. Her eyes started drying, her breath started calming, the tiny bit of hope, what was probably wrong, evolved into something she grasped on to, holding her steady. "She might've... I might've heard her... call for me..."

Miki slammed her hands on the couch, startling Miku. "Miku," she said, a calm anger coming through her voice, "are you _kidding_ me right now?"

"N-No, I'm really not." The look Miki was giving her was actually intimidating, and before she knew it a nervous smile was on her face, the water in her eyes coming back. "Why is it so..."

"Miku, you finally took your chance and you didn't even stay to find out the end results." The intimidation was off Miki's face, and was replaced with exasperation. A sad exasperation. "That's like entering a competition you've been waiting your whole life to compete in, and when you're the finalist, waiting to see if you won, you leave."

"...When you put it that way... I-I sound stupid." Miku's eyes burned again, and she wished she could just turn her emotions off. If she had just stayed... maybe Luka-san could've been her's.

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" Miki apologized quickly, hands out in front of her, embarrassment flushing her cheeks red. "Sorry. I just really want you to be happy. Honestly."

"I know." Miku leaned against the back of the couch, sighing. "I just... I wish my emotions wouldn't have gotten out of control. Maybe if I'd stay just one more minute, I could've..."

"Well, you know now," Miki pointed out. "When you guys work tomorrow, you could resolve everything."

"I could," Miku realized, hope in her voice. She sat up, already thinking of a plan. "So if she's fine, I'll just walk in normally, apologize, then we can make up, right?" Miki nodded, smiling. "But if she's sad, well... I should get her something, shouldn't I?"

"No idea what, but I'll go with you!" Miki beamed with excitement. "Maybe it should be something teal. To remind her of you."

"But doesn't that seem like something you would get _after_ you start..." Miku couldn't say the word.

"Dating?" Miki filled in. Miku nodded. "Yeah... I guess so. But what else are we gonna get her?"

"Maybe I can do without the gift..."

"No way." Miki tugged on her arm. "We're going. Right now. We're gonna get her something, it doesn't even matter if you give it to her before or after, you _are_ gonna give it to her. Now, c'mon!" Miki had stood up and was trying to pull Miku off the couch. "We're going!"

"Okay," Miku agreed, a small smile on her face. If this hope was false, she didn't care.

She had to chance to redeem herself, and she wasn't going to throw it away anymore.

**0o0o0o0**

Miku stood inside her office, the tiny box in her hands. She was just waiting for a knock to come from the door, to finally put this plan in action. Her hands shook, making the box she was holding make a small rattling sound from its contents inside.

Luka-san better be here soon. Her anxiousness was threatening to overwhelm her, her heart racing, her stomach full of butterflies. If she had to stand there one minute longer, she thought she would collapse, reduced to a heap of emotion on the floor.

Just when she thought her couldn't take it anymore, a knock came from her door. She quickly put the tiny black box on the desk next to her. She opened the door, hoping the speed didn't portray her nervousness, and was met with those ever-so familiar crystal blue eyes. She felt the anxiousness bubble up into her throat, restricting her ability to breathe and speak.

"H-Hey," she said, tripping over even one word. Luka-san smiled at her, although a slight sadness showed through. Miku instantly felt guilty for making Luka-san feel like that. "Y-You can come in." She stepped away from the door, and the pinkette stepped inside. Miku couldn't help but notice the melancholy in her eyes as she closed the door.

Miku leaned against the back of the door. The words were escaping her now, and it was getting increasingly awkward as they both remained silent, obviously remembering the events of the last night. Miku took in a breath, prepping herself for what she was about to say.

"Luka-san..." The pinkette turned towards her, making her anxiousness increase tenfold. She wiped her palms on her skirt, sweaty from clenching them together. "I-I'm... I'm really sorry for what happened yesterday... I didn't mean..."

"It's fine." Luka-san stared at the ground, uncharacteristically playing with the hem of her light pink skirt. "I know you were probably just confused, I didn't take it-"

"Luka-san, wait-"

"I didn't take it personally and-"

"Luka-" Miku voice raised, along with Luka-san's.

"You didn't mean-"

"Luka!" Miku flinched at the sound of her own voice, and she hoped nobody else heard it. She even shocked herself by saying Luka-san's name without the honorific. "I'm sorry, but please, just listen to me."

Luka-san's eyes were now fixed on her, her mouth closed. Her full attention was on Miku. She had this one chance. She couldn't mess this up.

Slowly, she took a breath in. "Luka..." She exhaled, trying not to let it shake. "I meant... I meant everything I said back there, yesterday. I just... I didn't mean to run away like that. I'm sorry what I made you think. I didn't mean to get overemotional..."

Luka-san — no, just Luka now — stared at her, her mouth gaped open. Miku breathed a nervous sigh, her heart racing faster and faster, watching as Luka closed her mouth, stared at the ground, then looked back up to Miku and opened her mouth.

"Do you... want me to tell you what _I_ really meant?" Luka took a step toward Miku. Miku swallowed, nodding.

"I said I couldn't. That's not what I meant." Luka took another step towards her, to where Miku could hear every breath the pinkette took. "I meant that it'd be hard for us. Especially hard for you, since you're so young and your career is blooming. And I want to take the chance, but I want you to be ready, too."

Now their heads were almost touching, and they could feel their hearts beating, in synchrony. "Are you up to it, Miku?" Luka asked, her hands now running through Miku's twintails. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, almost making her unable to say the words she wanted, needed to say.

"I'm ready," she breathed out. She looped her arms around Luka's neck, and they pulled their heads closer together, locking lips in a passionate, needy kiss. Miku's hands found their way to Luka's hair, running her hands through the pinkette's soft locks. They pulled their lips apart, gasping for breath, staring into each other's eyes. Luka's crystal blue orbs were shining, more happy than Miku had ever seen them.

Miku smiled, leaning over and locking the door. She gripped Luka's back, pulling her onto the couch, leaning over her and she resumed the kiss. Luka kissed her back, equally as passionate as she.

She did it. Her one last chance: she did it.


	8. Revealation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Thank you all for sticking with this; even though it's not my best fic, it was fun. Also, if you guessed the song they were making, congrats!
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed One Night for One Life! Here's the last chapter!

Miku groaned, stretching herself out in the bed. Mornings weren't really her thing, but apparently, they weren't Luka's thing either.

It'd been a couple weeks since her and Luka had truly admitted their feelings to each other. It'd been much easier to work on the song, and today was the official release of it. There was even another party going on for the release tonight, maybe to prove another incident like last time wouldn't happen again.

Well, they were too late. The difference was that this time wasn't an accident. Miku rolled over in bed to see the back of Luka's head, her soft, pink hair splayed out over the mattress. Miku absentmindedly ran her fingers through the now-familiar hair that she loved.

The pinkette rolled over in the bed. Miku quickly pulled her hand away, scared that she might've woken Luka up, but her face was still in a restful sleep. Miku smiled. Luka looked so calm and peaceful sleeping, more than she usually did.

She glanced at the clock; not even eight yet. Luka must've been awfully tired after their night together. Miku left her on the bed, while she went to get some clothes. They didn't have to be anywhere until the evening, and that was only for the release party.

She checked on Luka one last time — she was starting to move more, maybe she would wake up soon — and she went downstairs to make breakfast. She didn't know too much to make, but hopefully pancakes would be good enough. Unfortunately, Luka didn't have any leeks to put in her's: she must've already eaten them all. She closed the fridge with a slight frown. At least she still had pancakes.

Right as she was setting the table, Luka came into the kitchen, with a half-asleep look on her face. Miku smiled, walking over and kissing her on the cheek.

"Good morning~" Miku sing-songed, trailing her hands through Luka's hair. Luka kissed her on the forehead.

"Good morning," Luka said, Miku hearing the tiredness in her voice. Miku giggled and walked back to the stove, put the last pancake on the plate, and put it in the counter.

"I made breakfast, since you must be tired." She sat down, taking a pancake for herself and pouring syrup on it.

"Thank you." Luka took one too. "Sorry I made you make it all my yourself."

"It's alright: I like cooking." Miku could still tell Luka didn't like that she didn't help her out, but Miku didn't push it. It wasn't that much of an issue. "You think they'll like our song?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Well, it is a party," Luka pointed out, shrugging. "And the song as 'dancehall' in the name."

"I've never danced with you, Luka," Miku realized out-loud. She grinned. "Tonight's going to be fun."

"Miku..." Luka trailed off, putting her fork down with the piece of pancake she was about to eat. "It's such a public place. They'll see us for sure."

"So what?" Though they'd officially been in a relationship for weeks, nobody knew, except for Miki. Miki could be an airhead, but she could keep secrets like no one else could. Miku has trusted her with the secret — in fact, Miki has been ecstatic to know — but now, she didn't want to hide. "They're going to find out sooner or later. And I'd rather it be from us than some propaganda magazine."

"...That's true..." Luka sighed. "Fine. We'll tell them. I just... I don't want to ruin your life, Miku. You might get shamed. I'm not worth that."

"You're wrong." Miku got up and knelt over next to Luka, looking into her crystal blue orbs. "You _are_ worth that. Everyone deserves to love whoever they want, and we can be proof of that. I can live with being hated if it means we're a beacon of hope to others."

"I know, I'm sorry," Luka apologized. "I guess I'm just... apprehensive."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, really." Miku smiled. "I'm nervous too. But we have all day until tonight. And in the meantime..." Miku's smile turned to a smirk, running a finger down Luka's cheek into her collarbone. "Once you're done eating, we can go back to what we were doing last night."

Luka planted a kiss on her forehead, smiling. "Whatever you want, sweetie."

**0o0o0o0**

The reveal didn't go as bad as they feared it would.

After a few songs to get the party going, and a few drinks, they made their way to the stage, dancing the way there. Once the song was over, the smoke cleared and the music stopped. Only Miku and Luka were standing there.

Miku sent one last glance to Luka, and she nodded affirmatively. They were going to do this.

"The next song we're about to play is the one we made together," Miku announced into the mic. "But before that, we have an announcement to make. You've all heard the rumors of us being together." Murmurs went through the crowd. Miku took in a breath, calming herself. "Well, we don't want to keep it a secret any longer. The rumors are true."

The crowd went silent. The only thing Miku could hear was her heart beating, too loudly, deafening her. This was going to go wrong, wasn't it? She should've listened to Luka, people might hate-

And then somebody started clapping. Miku looked over to the sound, and she saw Miki smiling widely. Miku let out a nervous laugh. Others joined Miki in the applause, and all the weight on Miku's shoulders was lifted off of her.

"Let's dance!" She shouted, and _World's End Dancehall_, the song they made together, came blaring over the speakers. Miku jumped off the stage, followed by Luka who immediately took her up in dancing. They danced together, surrounded by everyone else.

Miku had never felt so much like she belonged in her life.

When the song was over, Luka led Miku away from the crowd, onto a balcony she didn't know existed, still attached to Luka.

"How'd you find this place?" Miku asked, looking at the thousands of bright stars with awe.

"Once you work here for a while, you get to know the layout of the place," Luka said, grinning.

"I remember that." Miku grinned back. "You said that when we went through the back door to get away from fans. And you also said that at the last party, didn't you?"

Luka looked down at the ground, a bit of guilt on her face. "I did. I'm sorry that happened. I... I liked you back then, but I didn't know I'd go that far in my drunken state..."

"Luka, if that hadn't happened, I would've never met you." Luka looked up, and Miku stared into her eyes. Crystal blue, as always, the color she loved. "All the drama that happened... I admit, that was kinda hard to get through." Miku closed the distance between her and Luka's faces, their foreheads now resting on each other's. "But after all that drama... It was worth it."

Miku planted her lips on Luka's, kissing her deeply. She pulled away, staring into Luka's eyes with love.

"It was the best mistake I ever made."


End file.
